Alaska Salmon Program

Bristol Bay, Alaska: the largest
sockeye-salmon-producing area in the world.

The sockeye fishery there was
established over a century ago, in 1883. But by the early
1940s, that precious resource was in jeopardy of being
overfished.

It was in the spring of 1945 that representatives of the
Alaska salmon canners came to the UW School of Fisheries
seeking emergency assistance. UW professor W. F. Thompson set
up a field research program to study the problem; the program
has been consistently running ever since. In fact, it has been
expanded to include the Kodiak Island and Southeast Alaska pink
salmon fisheries.

"The Alaska salmon fishery," says Marsha Landolt, Director
of the UW School of Fisheries, "is, in large measure, a distant
water fishery whose fishermen, vessels, and processors are
based in Washington State." The annual value of the fishery
today, she explains, is from $300 to $500 million.

During the 50-year history of the Alaska Salmon Program,
faculty, staff, and students of the UW have studied the
population structure, behavior, and ecological requirements of
Pacific salmon. Researchers have used a combination of
fisheries techniques, including pre-season forecasting,
in-season forecasting, and setting escapement goals for
individual river systems. Escapement goals refer to the
fraction of the fish population that is allowed to bypass the
fishery and spawn in the natural environment. As a result of
the program, the Alaska fishery not only has been saved from
overexploitation, but today the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon runs
are at their highest levels in recorded history, says
Landolt.

UW fisheries professor Donald E. Rogers has been working
with the program for decades. Thirty-five years ago, he began
studying the Wood River lake system in Bristol Bay. His
research continues to this day with studies on the growth and
abundance of fry, physical and biological conditions in the
lakes, and the abundance and distribution of sockeye salmon
spawners. With funding from nine fish processing companies
based in Seattle, two fisherman organizations, and the National
Marine Fisheries Service, his graduate students are examining
predator-prey relations, stock identification, food habits, and
food production.

Rogers explains there are three main ways that sponsoring
the research program pays off for a processor. First of all,
accurate forecasts depend on having an accurate understanding
of the factors that regulate the annual numbers of adult
salmon. Especially important is information on the spawners and
juvenile fish in the lakes. "It is no coincidence that my
pre-season forecast accuracy is best for the Nushagak runs,
where we have the most extensive database...and poorest for
Ugashik where we have very little data on spawners and
juveniles," he notes.

Secondly, how escapement goals are established has a direct
effect on the number of salmon a company can process, and thus
on their earnings. "If escapement goals are set too high there
is a direct loss of catch and a potential long-term loss, and
if goals are set too low there may be a short-term gain but a
long-term loss in production," explains Rogers.

Thirdly, a close working relationship between the
researchers and managers of the runs is a benefit to
processors. "If a manager feels confident in a forecasted large
run, there is likely to be early fishing," says Rogers, but if
there is no confidence, then "the fishery is likely to be
closed until the escapement goal is assured," which is
undesirable for processors.

The Alaska Salmon Program operates several field stations in
Alaska: four major stations—at Lake Aleknagik and at Lake Nerka,
in the town of Iliamna, and at Porcupine Island—and two
outposts, at Chignik Lake and at Lake Kulik.